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Saturday, September 01, 2007

Alderman Reynolds Tackles Recycling

Alderman Bill Reynolds has come up with a new plan to increase recycling by brining in a company called Recycle Bank, which pays people to recycle! This is another great idea by Majority Leader Reynolds that will lower our tipping fees which in the long run will lower your taxes, and it's great for the environment too. Here is a FAQ on the company.

When will Alderman Reynolds smarten up and realize that while Kingston is lucky to have his leadership, he would be an asset in a much higher public office. County Executive Reynolds?

32 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Many of the pigs that litter their garbage in the bad neighborhoods aren't going to recycle.

Nice idea Alderman Reynolds. I'm all for it, but what you gonna do about the LAZY BUMS who won't participate? You can't get blood from a stone, so perhaps we finally start putting real pressure on the landlords who rent to these scumbags!

If the City had EVER made consistent attempts to educate the residents in recycling, perhaps Reynolds' idea would have merit. The City has not. In fact over the last several years, the recycling efforts of this Administration has been a web of changes without adequate notification, confusion and conflicting accounts of our regulations.

Funny how these issues come to the forefront before elections? Reynolds is the longest standing Alderman. How come it took this long for him to address this issue. 20 years of Earth Days have past and finally someone addresses this issue?

How many other companies has he spoken to? Has he contacted any other City with successful recycling programs? Or os this another "quick" fix that will cost us more 15 years from now? Didn't Reynolds vote to join the Resource Recovery Agency? If that was wrong, what makes this right?

If Reynolds has any aspirations outside of Kingston, he needs to distance himself from Sottile, Noble, and DiBella...they're not highly regarded at all - Reynolds is brighter than all three of them put together. He should be mayor!

Why do you people from Kingston think the political world revolves around you? It is either Sottile, Donaldson, Hein, Cahill and now Reynolds for County Executive. Ulster County has 175,000 people in it. Why does it have to be limited to a pool of under 20,000?

Don't give me Zimet either. After her assault on the county employees with her moronic partner Filecello, she is done in my book. Her judgment has been questioned one too many times.

I'll post it just becasue of the sheer humor.. Noble is arrogant? Ha... probably one of the nicest down to earth people I know. Lenny Walker is arrogant, he walks around with his pay stubs showing anyone who will look that he makes 100k+ that's arrogant.

Reynolds has no qualifications for Executive. He has never had anything but politically appointed jobs. He has no managerial experience whatsoever. We need someone with a proven track record in the private sector AND a full understanding of how Government works. There are not too many of those people around.

Mike Hein is in a good position but his lack of intestinal fortitude may be an issue. Kevin Cahill is another choice, with successful, but limited private sector experience.

The others are like Reynolds, public service lifers with no private sector managerial experience.

Much of the problem is that the county executive is an elected position - so we're limited to candidates who live within the county. They could have no experience whatsoever, but as long as they have personality and the ability to raise some cash, they could win and "run" the county. The charter should have had a county manager that was appointed by the legislators. Either way, the elected official would have to answer to the public, or the appointed official would have to answer to the legislators in turn answer to the public. But, a county manager could come from anywhere in the country, and experience and education could be required. It's very frightening that we could have an idiot running the county winning only because she or he ran a great campaign.

Reynolds for County Exec..hmmm. Certainly has the brains for it but I find it hard to believe that an Alderman will get the nomination for the highest elected position in the county. I agree with you that Reynolds would be the best choice if Ulster Dem's could keep an open mind and Reynolds can grow some balls then it could happen.

It seems to me Blaber could be the Patrick Oleveri of the Democratic Party, why don't you open up a consulting firm and start puttin' the wheels in motion. ;)

TO 11:43 It's not about Bill Reynolds or Mike Hein, another great candidate, living in Kingston or not. I honestly believe that Alderman Reynolds would be the best candidate for the job.

A person would have a difficult time accusing me of just supporting Kingston residents for county offices, I supported Tony McGinty over a Kingston candidate and I'm currently supporting Jonathan Sennett for District Attorney over Kingston's golden boy..for the simple reason that both Tony and Jon were the most qualified.

Reynolds should be mayor right now which would make it an easy transition. I agree an alderman would have a tough time to convince the committee but Reynolds is not an average alderman, he has extensive experience in government and is probably one of the brightest people in local politics today.

I am worried that "extensive experience in government" is automatically seen as a good thing. Too many of our elected officials with "extensive experience in government" have put their own political gain ahead of the people they vowed to serve and represent. It has been very costly to the residents of Kingston and the County as a whole.

Candidtates with proven track records in the private sector, with management experience are what this City and this County need more of. Not canditates who have gotten very use to spending taxpayer money without accounting for it and without overseeing the "needed" projects diligently. We don't need career part-time politicians. We need elected officials who will serve the people, not just their party and their friends

I honestly think William Reynolds should form an exploratory committee to run for County Executive. I never in a million years thought of him as a candidate but it makes perfect sense. Reynolds has the leadership experience and defiantly the brain for it. Does anyone have a way to contact Bill? I don't want to leave me name on this blog but I really would like to discuss this further.

Billy for County Exec, one full year of shaking babies and kissing hands, better start soon. This year will certainly be a contentious one. Reynolds could be a viable candidate. Form the exploration committee and test the waters.

Bill still needs to prove to everyone that he's not up the mayor's ass. Outside of Kingston, the committee has no respect for Jim Sottile (and the rest of the Kingston Committee). They remember his support for Pataki, and they're pissed at his support for Bradley. Unless Bill distinguishes himself from the rest of the Kingston Committee, he'll go the way of Bradley - 2/3 of the committee will reject him. Kingston has a lot to do to redeem themselves - it will be a long time before the Dems endorse anyone county-wide from Kingston. If Bill wants it, now's the time for him to join the 2/3 of the committee and support the endorsed candidate for DA. His silence is deafening.

You need to do some research on recycling. It really is a bunch of b.s. Let's take paper for example: It cost more to recycle a ton of paper than it does to manufacture. Also, recycling paper sends all types of nasty emissions into the air. Raw paper production uses trees true. However, these trees are from tree farms, not the wild. The only thing worth recycling is aluminum cans. Every watch a homeless guy grabbing paper or glass? No, just the cans, they are the only thing with value. I suggest to you the showtime tv series "Bullshit" hosted by Penn & Teller. Their episode on recycling should be standard watching material for all these environmentalist yahoos that don't know what it is they are talking about.

10:11 is right on the money! If recycling in the City is an issue because of the dumping fees, then start a campaign to reach the people. They will step up to the plate if they are informed of the reasons why it is necessary to separate their recyclbles. I think the proposed plan is a worthless idea. Why should we pay money to a company who will give the residents coupons for money off IF they spend money in certain stores. Mark what I say. This project is a loser and will prove itself out as an utter failure.

I posted this in this blog before - but found the proper thread on the subject.

ReycleBank was actually researched by residents of Ward 9 after Bill Reynolds brought it to their attention. I am a resident - and I've been researching the idea - and let me tell you, it's not something to look away from. For alot of reasons. We have requested that if it gets further along which we are hoping it does, that there be an informative meeting for all of the city residents to ask questions directly to ReycleBank and the powers that be.

I also want to tell you that as a resident and someone who has organized our Ward 9 community meetings, that Bill Reynolds has been a tremendous help to us. He has always taken our concerns and ideas seriously and is doing a fine job as a council member.

See for yourself. Take part in a meeting if you haven't. I wouldn't rely on the Freeman for your primary source of information.

Attached is a list of Q/A on ReycleBank. I hope it helps those who are curious to learn more. And if you'd like to become a member of our Ward 9 Google Group which is a place to become better educated on any city subject - please visit at:

http://groups.google.com/group/kingstonnyward9

We also meet every month (the third Thursday at 6pm) at the coach house players on Augusta Street.

No. Recycling will remain free to residents and businesses, and will even reduce the tax burden to homeowners and businesses. RecycleBank provides a 64 gallon wheeled recycle bin to each household and business (the program is not adaptable to businesses unless the city collects their recyclables and a business uses the standard wheel cart). This bin and RecycleBank’s services will be paid for by the savings generated through an increased recycling rate offsetting the tipping fees generated through trash removal in Kingston. Simply, less money will be paid for trash and more money will be devoted to increase recycling. Once Kingston begins recycling at 30%, Kingston will save approximately $95,000 per year. This savings is incurred after we have already paid for RecycleBanks services and will be used to reduce the general tax burden.

Why do I need a new recycling bin?

Many Kingston residents no longer have the bin provided over 10 years ago by the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency. These bins were provided when recycling was first mandated. The County does not plan on providing these bins in the future so currently the burden of providing a receptacle falls on the residents. RecycleBank will provide and manage the new 64 gallon bins. If your new bin is damaged or stolen, one phone call to RecycleBank will replace it at no charge.

Will Kingston DPW continue to pick up my recycling?

Yes. Kingston DPW will continue to pick up your recycling. They will have their recycling trucks outfitted with a device to weigh and dump the wheeled recycling bins. This will cut down on the number of DPW trucks running in front of your house. Currently, four trucks pass the same house on any garbage day. With single-stream recycling, paper, cans, bottles and cardboard will all go in one bin, and trash in another. This will reduce the number of trucks to two: One Garbage and One Recycling.

Will RecycleBank provide Education?

RecycleBank realizes that education and incentives are two of the best ways to increase recycling rates. With Kingston's abysmal 11.65% recycling rate, both are necessary. Not only will RecycleBank provide coupon based incentives to homeowners and local businesses but they also supply Kingston with the educational materials and the personnel support necessary to make this project a success. These incentives will also make for a large local financial impact here in Kingston. In one year, over 3.2 million dollars worth of incentives would be given out to Kingston residents to be spent locally.Why not just increase Recycling Enforcement?Kingston's Department of Public Works currently employs one full-time Sanitary Code Enforcement Officer. This position enforces all sanitary codes, which does include recycling. Currently, Kingston does not have the ability to track who is recycling and who is not. RecycleBank will be able to provide the enforcement officer with spreadsheets of what households are and are not recycling. This will provide an easier method of tracking recycling offenders and pursuing targeted education and enforcement actions.

How should I be recycling now, and how will it change if RecycleBank is implemented?

As things stand currently, residents should mingle metal cans/tins, plastics (#1-7) and glass bottles together in one container. Residents should continue to keep paper (office, junk mail, etc.) and newspaper together in a bin. Cardboard should be flattened and bundled and smaller pieces of cardboard (cereal boxes, etc.) can be put in a brown paper bag.

If ReycleBank were implemented, these materials would all go into one bin (see above) provided by RecycleBank.

Will I be able to use coupons at local businesses?RecycleBank has developed relationships with many national chains, however, it will actively work on recruiting local "mom and pop" stores. By working with local stores, financial incentives stay local and help build the local economy. It is also a great way for local businesses to advertise on RecycleBank’s website and through their promotional material.

Where will the recycling go?

Currently, the City of Kingston sends it’s recycling to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency. UCRRA currently accepts recycling in a dual stream, which separates paper and bottles/ cans. The cities in Ulster County and RecycleBank should encourage agencies like UCRRA to upgrade their equipment to single stream as it is more efficient and is becoming the industry standard. The City of Kingston will not bear the burden of upgrading this equipment. In the coming month's Kingston will work with UCRRA, RecycleBank and its partners to determine which disposal methods will be utilized, where this material will go and how it will be financed.

How Does the system work for Multi-Family units?

Multi-family units are tied to the program by individual addresses. For example, the person who lives at 124 Business Street, Apt 1 would have their own account and bin. The neighbor at 124 Business Street, Apt 2, would have their own account and their own bin and so on. For those that live in larger complex's, which the City of Kingston does not pick up their garbage or recycling, RecycleBank would not be instituted, as the complexes hire private waste companies

How long has ReycleBank been in business and what is their track record?

RecycleBank was formed in 2003 by Patrick Fitzgerald and Ron Gonen with help from Columbia University launched this initiative. RecycleBank serves more than 50,000 homes across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Kingston would enroll approximately 8,000 homes and businesses.